Research is at the heart of Unicancer: clinical, translational and health data research. Rigorous and relevant, it aims to put innovation at the service of the patient.
Developing cancer research is one of the foundations of the Unicancer network’s ambition. We will continue to do our utmost to offer patients ever earlier detection and ever more innovative treatments.
Sophie Beaupère – Unicancer CEO
Structured around 2 main activities:
A Research & Development department
– To ensure the continuum of fundamental, clinical and translational research
– To ensure the management of strategic and international projects
– Strengthen complementarities and collaboration with the FCCCs, and develop collaborations with national and international groups
A Data and Partnerships Department
– Coordination of the FCCCs on the structuring and development of data
– Creation of databases and real-life data warehouses
– Instruction, operational management and development of major programmes
– Development of tools and infrastructures to acquire new patient data
Ambitious strategic priorities
Explore areas less exploited by the pharmaceutical industry
Clinical research is research carried out on human beings in accordance with a protocol. It aims to advance knowledge on a drug, a pathology, a procedure or a treatment protocol. Unicancer’s research strategy focuses on areas less exploited by the pharmaceutical industry, such as rare cancers or cancers affecting orphan populations.
- This strategy is reinforced by a financial partnership with the Ligue nationale contre le cancer.
Accelerating therapeutic innovations through translational research
Translational research is one of Unicancer’s priority research development areas. This is laboratory research that allows innovative techniques to be rapidly transposed to the patient’s bed.
All clinical research promoted by Unicancer includes the collection of tumours and/or blood samples for the implementation of translational research programmes.
Developing collaborations to advance research
Unicancer collaborates with the various players in cancer research: learned societies, patient associations, the pharmaceutical industry and public institutions. Although it was created by the Cancer Centres, Unicancer promotes studies in more than 160 French and foreign centres. Its international scope is recognised by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), of which Unicancer hosts the French liaison office. The aim of this office is to accelerate and facilitate EORTC promoted trials in France.
Preventive medicine
The Unicancer Research Department contributes to the development of 4P medicine (predictive, preventive, personalised and participative)
12 248 patients included in studies promoted by Unicancer, including 9 642 in MyPeBS study
104 active studies of which 50 in recruitment
41 publications in scientific journals
2023 figures
The patient at the heart of our research
With several thousand patients included in its clinical trials, including several large-scale trials, Unicancer’s Research Department focuses on:
- Research on cancers with a poor prognosis (pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and rare cancers in particular), with the aim of ensuring equitable access to innovative treatments,
- The use of real-world data to accelerate and inform therapeutic trials,
- Improving and preserving the quality of life of patients by optimising therapeutic de-escalation (radiotherapy dose or anti-cancer drugs)
